Following over a year of waiting for Covid restrictions to drop, we finally were able to meet up with fellow ACORNS and course leaders at the Summit, which took place at the Park Hotel, in Mullingar from 27th-28th April 2022.
Our Principal Phillippa Christie was selected for the ACORNS: Going for Growth program back in 2020 and successfully completed the cycle which has improved the development of the Equine Academy and is a large part of why it continues to grow.
If you haven’t already heard of ACORNS, the program has been designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland. It is based on a belief that entrepreneurs learn best from each other, the ACORNS initiative is centered around interactive round table sessions that are facilitated by female entrepreneurs, known as ‘Lead Entrepreneurs’, who have started and successfully grown businesses in rural Ireland. Learn more about the ACORNS program here https://acorns.ie
The event was to celebrate ACORNS 6 and separately the ACORNS 7 graduation. Being part of cycle 6, we did not meet any of those from the new intake on this occasion. The ballroom was packed with amazing businesses and a smaller selection decided to exhibit. Of course, we take any opportunity to show what we do and what a wonderful opportunity it was.
Our stall included some of the striking learning materials from our Advanced Bitless Course as well as our new display banner, embossed certificates, beautiful rosettes made by fellow ACORN Tara Lane from Centrepiece Rosettes, free course tickets, and an interactive screen where browsers could learn more about our courses and see the Equine Academy in action.
Phillippa was delighted to meet special guest for the event; Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett. who stopped by her stall and wanted to know a little more about what the Equine Academy does and can offer. We learned that Pippa has a background and interest in horses, and we were impressed that Pippa recognised the bitless bridle on our resin anatomy head.
Before and after stalls, there were many powerful stories of success, which were motivating and inspirational to hear. Overall the event enabled us to meet other businesses and we look forward to engaging their services and also welcoming new providers to create courses and share their skills with our equine professionals and students.
We would like to extend a huge thanks to the whole ACORNS team led by Paula and to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) which sponsors the ACORNS program.
